New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks to about 500 people at a prescription drug abuse symposium sponsored Monday by Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill’s office. “This epidemic started not on our street corners. This epidemic started in our doctors’ offices. This epidemic started in our hospitals,” Christie said. “We created this problem.” Photo by Scott L. Miley, CNHI Statehouse Reporter

INDIANAPOLIS — Americans need to rid themselves of stigmas toward those addicted to opioids in order to fight the crisis, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday in Indianapolis.

"This epidemic started not on our street corners. This epidemic started in our doctors' offices. This epidemic started in our hospitals," Christie said. "We created this problem."

"People who are dying today are dying because we refuse to acknowledge the problem we created," Christie told about 500 people at a prescription drug abuse symposium.

The governor's comments came less than a week after President Donald Trump's declaration of the opioid crisis as a nationwide public health emergency; the declaration did not include new funding measures. The financial side is up to Congress, Christie said.

"I'm not going to bid in place of the president. He's going to have to talk to Congress. ... The president doesn't appropriate. It's Congress' job to appropriate," he said, adding, "It's time for Congress to step up and deal with this."

On Monday, Christie spoke at the eighth annual symposium hosted by the Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill's office.

Christie's speech came two days before his commission is to issue its final recommendations. Christie has said the commission would address how the opioid crisis began and recommend programs but would not seek funding levels.

Following his talk, he discussed funding for the crisis while standing next to U.S. Rep Susan Brooks, R-5th District, who was an early supporter of Christie's 2016 run for president.

"It's up to Congress to take that report, to study that report working with the White House and then to work with the agencies that they're going to task with these recommendations and then ask the agencies how much would this cost. I don't think it's up to Congress to pick numbers out of thin air," Brooks said.